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Easy Kale Soup with White Beans, Potatoes + Savory Broth- 780 | Umami Girl-2
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4.55 from 110 votes

Easy Kale Soup with White Beans, Potatoes + Savory Broth

This delicious soup was supposed to be one of those dinners conjured from what we had in the fridge that never saw the light of blog. It was so late by the time we ate it last week that we had to pretend we were in Buenos Aires or Barcelona. We liked it a LOT, so I photographed the leftovers.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Soups
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy kale soup, kale potato white bean soup, kale soup, kale white bean potato soup
Calories: 397kcal
Author: Carolyn

Equipment

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion diced small
  • 2 ribs celery diced small
  • 2 medium carrots diced small
  • 2 teaspoons fine sea salt divided
  • 8 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons (30 grams) tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon marmite optional
  • 7 cups 1(650 ml) good vegetable broth
  • 2 pounds (907 grams) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 2 bunches Lacinato kale stemmed and torn into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 15.5- ounce cans white beans rinsed and drained
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) balsamic vinegar
  • ¼ cup about (10 grams) minced flat-leaf parsley
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Parmesan cheese for serving optional

Instructions

  • Warm olive oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot with a lid. (You'll use the lid later.)
  • Add onion, celery, carrot and one teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring occasionally until lightly browned and somewhat tender, 5-10 minutes.
  • Add garlic, tomato paste and marmite (if using) and cook, stirring, for a minute or two.
  • Pour in broth, raise heat to high, and bring to a boil.
  • Add diced potatoes and remaining teaspoon salt. Cover and reduce heat to simmer.
  • Cook until potatoes are almost tender, 15 minutes or so depending on the size of your dice.
  • Add kale and beans and cook a further 10 minutes, until kale is tender and potatoes are just shy of falling apart.
  • Off the heat, stir in vinegar, parsley, and pepper.
  • Serve hot with cheese to pass at the table if you like.

Video

Notes

  1. The trinity of onion, carrot, and celery creates the first layer of flavor. Embrace a little bit of browning on the bottom of the pot and scrape it all up into the broth as you go. It adds a lot of depth.
  2. There's no substitute for lots of fresh garlic. Give it an even chop, but don't mince it too finely. That way it will contribute little pops of flavor and won't burn.
  3. Tomato paste adds a backbone of umami and silkiness. You can use either the kind in the can or the double-concentrated kind in the tube — use the full measure either way.
  4. A touch of the English condiment Marmite adds an extra layer of savoriness to this soup. You won't taste it per se, but it really does add nuance. You can use the same amount of the Australian Vegemite instead if you have that on hand. The two are different, but they serve a similar purpose in this recipe. Or leave it out if you prefer (or if you need this recipe to be gluten-free).
  5. Homemade stock works beautifully if you happen to have some on hand. If not, this recipe is great with a high-quality boxed veggie broth, too (that's usually what I use). My favorite boxed vegetable broth by far is Imagine No Chicken lower-sodium broth. It has a great flavor profile and none of the rust-colored nonsense that plagues many other brands.
  6. I like to use Yukon Gold potatoes for their excellent ratio of creaminess to starchiness, but feel free to substitute a starchy variety like Russets or Idahos if that's what you've got.
  7. You can use any canned white beans in this recipe. I tend to use cannellini beans, which are are also called white kidney beans. They're mild, creamy, and fairly large. The two cans called for in this recipe equal about 3 ½ cups of cooked beans, from one heaping cup dried. You can of course use beans cooked from scratch if you prefer.
  8. This soup works equally well with curly or lacinato kale (also called dinosaur or Tuscan kale or cavolo nero). Depending on the specific variety and the season, you'll need to do a little more or less simmering of curly kale to make it nice and tender. Most lacinato kale needs just a few minutes.
  9. Balsamic vinegar pairs beautifully with kale — its complex, earthy sweetness takes the edge off the kale's bitterness without cloying. A midpriced option is perfectly fine — save the fancy balsamic for drizzling.
  10. A little bit of chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley stirred in after cooking adds freshness. It's not strictly necessary, but I like the dimension it adds.
  11. To make this recipe vegan, simply don't include grated cheese, or use a vegan version. To make it gluten-free, omit the Marmite.
  12. Like many soups, this one only improves in flavor as it has a chance to settle into itself. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. It will freeze just fine too, for up to a year. As always, the textures will soften a bit after freezing.

Nutrition

Calories: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 12.9g | Fat: 12.7g | Fiber: 11.9g